This invention relates to expansion devices used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems to adjust the flow of refrigerant in a refrigeration circuit. In particular, this invention relates to expansion devices used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems that require several stages of cooling capacity.
A role of an expansion device in refrigeration and air conditioning systems requiring several stages of cooling capacity is to configure its geometry (orifice size) in such a way that the refrigerant mass flow through the device corresponds exactly to the mass flow generated by the one or more compressors. This control of refrigerant flow must also maintain an optimum gas condition of the refrigerant entering the suction side of the compressor.
Thermal expansion valves, TXVs, and electronically controlled expansion valves, EXVs, are used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The traditional approach for controlling TXVs or EXVs is to provide a signal that opens or closes the valve based on an evaluation of suction gas superheat. Superheat is the difference between actual refrigerant temperature and saturated refrigerant temperature (temperature corresponding to the phase change). In thermal expansion valves (TXV) the type of control used is analog. The TXV is equipped with a bubble in a compressor suction line which senses the refrigerant temperature. A pressure signal corresponding to the suction line pressure is provided as well. Based on these two signals (refrigerant temperature and refrigerant pressure at the compressor inlet), the analog system adjusts the TXV opening to maintain a requested level of suction superheat (set point). This kind of expansion device has a limited range of application. If the refrigeration circuit can operate with a large span of capacities and with a large span of operating conditions, then the TXV type of controls cannot be optimized in all possible operating envelopes.
Electronic expansion devices (EXV) are usually electronically driven valves that are adjusted based on more or less sophisticated control algorithms. The adjusted EXV opening should be such that the refrigerant entering the evaporator fully evaporates in the evaporator. In this regard, there should preferably be no liquid refrigerant droplets leaving the evaporator. This is extremely important because excessive amounts of liquid refrigerant entering the compressor from the evaporator may result in compressor failure. To be sure that no liquid refrigerant leaves the evaporator, significant suction superheat is usually required. This requirement to optimize evaporator effectiveness counters the objective of achieving the best system efficiency by minimizing the suction superheat requirement.
To satisfy a safe operation of the compressor and also achieve good overall system efficiency, the suction superheat is usually maintained at a level of approximately 5xc2x0 C. Significant improvement of system efficiency would be obtained if one could however guarantee that no liquid refrigerant droplets enter the compressor with a lower suction superheat. It is however extremely difficult to measure the temperature difference defining suction superheat at a magnitude lower than 5xc2x0 C. with reasonable confidence. In particular when the refrigerant is close to saturation, problems of refrigerant misdistribution or refrigerant homogeneity makes it almost impossible to measure this temperature difference.
The invention provides for the control of an expansion valve without relying on measuring temperature at the suction side of a compressor. In particular, the control of the expansion valve is premised on a computation of discharge superheat using a mathematical algorithm based upon the current capacity of one or more activated compressors. The computation of the discharge superheat is preferably based on sensed suction and discharge pressures for the one or more compressors. The computed discharge superheat is compared with an actual discharge superheat that is based on a sensed discharge gas temperature. The comparison preferably permits the actual discharge superheat to be within a prescribed amount of the computed discharge superheat. This computational process has a much lower likelihood of error when contrasted with a computation based on sensing suction temperature. In this regard, when the compressor or compressors operate in the so called xe2x80x9cflooded conditionxe2x80x9d (no suction superheat), the measurement of conditions of the refrigerant in an evaporator leaving section or compressor entering section gives no idea about the refrigerant quality (quantity of liquid refrigerant in a mixture) entering the compressor. In reality, when the refrigerant entering the compressor is a saturated gas or mixture of the saturated gas and liquid, the refrigerant temperature is equal to refrigerant saturated temperature with suction superheat being equal to 0. It is impossible to make a distinction between acceptable, transient operation with some liquid droplets entering the compressor and an operation with large amount of liquid, which results in a very rapid compressor failure.
Computing superheat based on the conditions of the refrigerant at discharge from the compressor allows a control to clearly distinguish refrigerant quality (amount of liquid in a mixture) entering the compressor. Knowing the refrigerant quality while operating with minimal or no suction gas superheat allows for an appropriate control of the EXV opening in a transient, low suction superheat.